It's night. Shapes that in daylight were buildings and people have become strange and amorphous. Bursts of light from street lamps and houses dominate our attention. Colours disappear. How can the photographer, whose greatest weapon is light, take a picture (or at least a picture that makes some sense) out of the dark?

A few technical issues. Lack of light generally means a slow exposure – it could be several seconds – so unless you have hands and arms made of rock you'll need a support for your camera. A tripod or small bean bag is the obvious solution, or propping your body against a wall. In hand-held cameras a shutter speed of one-thirtieth of a second is about the minimum. Remember that vibrations from roads, railways or excited children may not be obvious at the time but can ruin a slow exposure.

Apart from light (or lack of it), your shutter speed should be influenced by the movements of your subjects. Sports photographers well know the difficulty of capturing clear images from badly lit tracks or pitches, often having to wait until the action passes through a patch of light. That's not to say a blur of movement is a bad thing, as it can add information and drama to your picture.

With fireworks, remember that a rocket burst can take three or four seconds to achieve its maximum effect, so you will probably need a tripod. Also, the displays tend to cover an expanse of sky, so use the widest lens you have. Try incorporating skylines, landscape or people – even if they are out of focus or in silhouette. Look at the way the light from bonfires or sparklers illuminates the faces of spectators, and how a simple thing such as shooting a sparkler on a longish exposure can create patterns. Avoid using your flash because it interferes with the atmosphere – although it can be effective in, say, picking out a face in the foreground while balancing the light from a fire in the background.

Watch the light ... Photograph: Graham Turner for the Guardian

Most cameras and devices are of course digital, giving you tremendous freedom to try out ideas. The latest cameras have amazing latitude when it comes to ISO ratings (the acceptable light tolerance of an image) although at 6400 ISO and above pixels can become bunched up, resulting in an untidy effect.

Be aware of colour. A sodium street lamp can dominate more than you think. Your eyes (but not the camera) tend to dismiss it and concentrate on shadows. These muted night-time colours can add value to a picture, but you might try avoiding colour altogether and shooting in black and white.

Experiment with different shutter speeds, perhaps deliberately moving the camera to blur your picture. Can figures silhouetted against the light add atmosphere to your picture? What about shadows cast against a wall? Use whatever light is available and adjust your photography to it.

And lastly, be bold. Night photography is no longer something only professionals can do, but open to anybody with a reasonably decent device and a good eye.